After presenting FUTURE I, the first 3D printed shoe made in China, PEAK, one of the world’s leading professional sports brands, rolled out the world’s first 3D printed basketball boot. The official announcement was made at the 2017 PEAK China Tour & Dwight Howard III Press Conference on August 24 and goes a long way to establish PEAK as a real competitor to Adidas, Reebok, Nike and New Balance on 3D printed athletic footwear.

“This pair of boots has obviously higher performance than traditional ones. I felt that the 3D printed soles and vamp side walls enable a more comfortable wearing experience. Maybe, one day in the future, you’ll see me wearing the 3D printed basketball boots, footwear designed based on R&D carried out by PEAK, during an NBA competition.” Dwight Howard commented.

PEAK is one of the world’s first brands to apply 3D printing technology to a sports shoe. Three years ago, the sports brand acquired the most advanced 3D printing equipment and rolled out products based on the 3D printing concept. The brand launched the “FUTURE I” 3D printed running shoes this May. The introduction of the 3D printed basketball boot moved PEAK into the position of being the world’s leading sports brand in the R&D and application of 3D printing technology.

PEAK’s first 3D printed show model for the FUTURE I brand

Based on the now relatively mature technology backed by scientific research previously applied to the brand’s 3D printed running shoes, PEAK deployed the SLS laser technology and the printing prototyping of the more flexible and lighter TPU powders in the design.

The Dwight Howard III-3D basketball boot deploys a 3D lattice structure in the middle of the sole, while using the 3D printed TPU structure for the vamp side walls, breaking existing design structure limits and expanding the room in which designers could allow themselves to be more creative, ultimately providing consumers with the world’s leading professional sports product that is both appealing in appearance and high-performance.

“As a new prototyping and processing technology, 3D printing is of great significance to Chinese sports brands and the country’s Made in China 2025 strategy.” Following introduction of the 3D printing running shoe and the 3D basketball boot, the brand plans to apply 3D printing technology to more products in the future, consistently providing consumers with innovative products. “Our goal is to transform PEAK into the world’s leading professional sports brand through continuous innovation and ongoing expansion into international markets,” said Xu Zhihua, general manager of PEAK.